Sunset's Glow
by Soike
Summary: After bringing Sakura to his apartment, Naruto admits his true feelings. Her reaction is...less than pleasing. But after she leaves, she comes to realize things she'd never thought of before. Rated T for mental imagery. Soon to be turned into a series.


**Author's Note: **Hi, everybody! ^ ^ I'm Soike. I'm new here at , but I like the sound of the place. After reading quite a few fics already (not to mention reviewing them) I've decided that it's time for me to finally publish one of my own. This is just a tiny oneshot centered around Naruto and Sakura, so I hope you enjoy! The ending might seem a little bit corny, but hopefully you all like it! ^ ^

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto was completely in love with Haruno Sakura.

He had known it for the longest time. All the signs were there; the way his heart fluttered whenever she looked his way; the way he would blush whenever she'd smile at him; the way time seemed to stop whenever she put a hand on his shoulder.

He wanted her so much. He wanted to hold her and feel her and tell her exactly how much he loved her. He wanted to wake up every morning and see her lying beside him. He wanted to be there when she cried; giving her a warm shoulder to lean on while he told her it would be okay. He wanted to be everything _she_ wanted. He wanted to have passionate love with her, every night she wanted to. He wanted be there, _with_ her, in every way possible.

But that wasn't the way she looked at the relationship. To her, they were good friends, best friends, even. And they were _just_ best friends. She viewed their relationship as completely platonic, with no depth or passion or love. It was just a good friendship and nothing more.

Well, that was _not_ how Uzumaki Naruto wanted things.

Naruto could see her, chatting with Ino on the other side of the street. He could see the shine of her emerald-green eyes, the way her red, knee-length skirt held her figure so perfectly, the cute little dimples that appeared on her face whenever she smiled, and the way her pink hair fell around her face. He saw everything in her and wanted it so badly. He wanted her to be _his_, and no-one else's. He wanted her to love him as much as he loved her.

If only he could bring himself to tell her what he felt.

There! Ino was going now, and Sakura was by herself. He could go to her now and tell her! And hopefully, she felt the same way about him.

Trying to hide his blush, Naruto got up from leaning on the wall and started to jog to her. As Sakura noticed him, she smiled a huge smile.

"Hi, Naruto!" she called, waving.

Naruto's heart skipped a beat as he heard her voice. His brain fumbled and he couldn't think of anything to say in response as he jogged towards her.

_Say hello to her, you idiot! _He thought to himself angrily.

"Uh...um...hi, Sakura-chan..." he replied weakly as he came over to her, slowing down to a walk. Sakura smiled up at him; he had actually grown a little taller than her now.

"So, what've you been up to lately?" she asked. Naruto's heart fluttered as their eyes locked and he tried to smile.

"Oh, uh...nothing much, really. Um...haven't had any missions lately. So...uh...what's up with you?" Sakura thought for a moment, staring up at nothing as she tried to concentrate. God, she looked so sexy in that dress! It was all Naruto could do to keep his eyes on Sakura's face instead of letting them trail down her body. Finally, she looked back up at him.

"Well, I was going to go shopping today. Wanna come with?" she asked. Naruto's stomach flipped over at the mere thought of being around Sakura for such a long time, even if it was only to carry her purchases.

"S-Sure!" he said enthusiastically. Sakura stared at him appraisingly.

"...Well, you better be prepared to carry a _lot_ of bags, then." she said finally, grinning. Naruto grinned too, even though his mind was screaming at him to act.

_Now's your chance! Tell her!_

"Uh...Sakura-chan...?" he said uncertainly. Sakura looked up at him again.

"What, Naruto?" she asked. Naruto felt a lopsided smile form on his face.

"Umm...I need to tell you something..." he continued. Sakura raised her eyebrows.

"Oh? What?" she asked. Naruto just stared at her dumbly for a minute. God, she was so hot!

_Tell her, you moron!!_

"I...I, uh...did you do something with your hair, Sakura-chan? Your hair looks nice today!"

He mentally kicked himself for saying that.

_You idiot! 'Did you do something with your hair, Sakura-chan?' What happened to telling her about you_ loving_ her, huh?!_

Sakura's face erupted into joy at his comment.

"You noticed!" she said, grinning, "I was wondering if anyone would notice it, and you're the first today! I thought Ino might, but she didn't. Yeah, I used a different conditioner when I had my shower this morning."

As soon as she mentioned it, a surprisingly lucid picture formed in Naruto's mind of Sakura, wearing nothing at all except for a towel she was holding in front of her dripping wet body, barely concealing her less-than-public aspects. Blushing madly, he shook his head to get rid of the mental image. Sakura frowned.

"What is it?" she asked. Naruto's mind blanked for a moment. Then, he said the first thing that popped into his mind.

"Oh, uh, some dirty joke that Kiba told me the other day." He said quickly. Sakura, as always, pressed for more information.

"Is it funny?" she asked.

Thinking quickly, Naruto thought up a suitable response.

"Uhh...nah, not really. You wouldn't like it..." Sakura looked at him for a minute; then shrugged and looked away.

"Whatever," she said.

And so, the pair continued on to where Sakura wanted to go.

By the very end of the day, when the sun was starting to dip below the horizon, Naruto and Sakura had most likely been to every single store in Konoha. In actuality, she hadn't bought as much as Naruto thought she would; just two bags stuffed with gifts for all her friends. He remembered from earlier;

_"Are we getting a present for me today, too?"_

_"Oh come on, Naruto; there wouldn't be any point in getting you a gift if you already knew what it was, silly!"_

Well, there was one gift that he _really _wanted, and she was walking right next to him.

Just as Naruto felt like his arms were about to fall off, Sakura turned around, and she grabbed both shopping bags from him. Then, she leaned forward and gave him a big, warm hug.

"Thanks, Naruto. You've been a big help today." She murmured into his ear. Naruto didn't respond right away; he was too preoccupied with being shocked senseless by the feeling of his body right up against Sakura's. Being so close to her felt...

"Uh...umm...you're welcome..." he mumbled. She pulled away a little, beaming up at him.

"See you tomorrow?" she asked. Naruto hesitantly nodded.

"Uhh, yeah...tomorrow..." he said, still mumbling. Sakura smiled, and let go of him, turning to go into her house. Naruto's head was spinning.

_Come on, you idiot! Tell her now! You might never get a chance like this again!_

"...Uh...Sakura-chan?" The pink-haired girl turned.

"Yeah Naruto?"

"I...uh...I...do you want to come over to my apartment later? I need to talk to you about something..." Sakura's eyebrows jumped.

"Your apartment?...But where do you live? I've never been to your apartment before..."

Naruto mentally kicked himself again.

_Great. How is she gonna react when you tell her where your apartment is?_

"Uhh...umm...It's, uh...in the...poor section of Konoha..." he mumbled, scratching the back of his head. Sakura just looked at him for a moment. Then;

"Well there's nothing wrong with that, Naruto. You don't have to look so guilty about it." She said, smiling, "Sure; I'll meet you there at around seven, okay?" Naruto's heart fluttered and his expression lifted.

"O-Okay!" he said brightly, "So, uh, should I pick you up or...?" he let the question hang in the air.

Sakura thought for a moment.

"Mmm...nah, I'll come on my own. Thanks for the offer, though." She said, smiling. Naruto's lopsided grin pasted itself onto his face again.

"Uh, okay." He said. Sakura smiled at him again and turned to go into her house. Grinning like an idiot, Naruto turned around and ran all the way back to his apartment building.

It was 6:59 and Naruto stood pacing in his living room.

"Come on, come on, where is she?" he muttered to himself. For that past hour he had been rehearsing what to tell her in his mind.

_Okay...this is it...now what to tell her...?_

_Umm..._

_"...Sakura, I love you, and I want you to love me back!"_

_...No; too forward..._

_"...Sakura...we've been friends for a long time, and...well...I really,_ really_ like you..."_

_God, who am I, Hinata?_

_"Okay......Sakura, I-"_

A knock at the door jolted him out of his rehearsal, blushing.

"Uh...c-coming!" he called, thumping over to the door. He grabbed the knob and quickly wrenched the door open, actually displacing the air with a loud _swish_.

"H-Hi, Sakura-chan!" he said, standing a little to the side so that she could get in. Sakura came into the apartment slowly, looking around and checking everything out.

"...You make it sound like your apartment is so small, Naruto." She said, meandering through the front hall, "It's not small...it's cozy; that's the word I'd use for it. It's nice and cozy."

Naruto grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"Well...it's not _that_ big...I mean, it has, uh...five rooms...and, um, three of them are connected, so...well, it looks a lot bigger than it actually is..." Sakura turned to him and smiled.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked. Naruto felt his heart throb almost painfully and he grinned to keep the feeling inside.

"Uhh...are you sure you don't want something to eat first, Sakura-chan?" he asked, "I mean; all that walking around today must have made you really hungry..."

Sakura raised her eyebrows, and almost as if on cue, her stomach gurgled loudly. Giggling, she nodded.

"Well, now that you mention it, I _am_ really hungry...what do you have?" she asked. Naruto grinned sheepishly again.

"Well...you don't mind eating cup ramen, do you?" Sakura smiled, those cute dimples appearing on her face.

"Not at all." She said.

After at least three or four cups of ramen later, Sakura sat back on the couch in Naruto's living room, sighing and rubbing her now slightly-swelled stomach.

"God, I am _stuffed!_" she exclaimed, "Who knew ramen was so filling?...And how are you able to eat so much of it, Naruto?"

Naruto, in the middle of shoving _another_ clump of noodles into his mouth with his chopsticks from his _ninth_ cup, froze and looked at Sakura, looking hilarious with his mouth wide open and the noodles half-way in his mouth.

"Hah? How cah I eah so mah ah ih?" he asked, his mouth still wide open.

Sakura stared at him funny for a moment; then burst out laughing and fell backwards onto the couch, clutching her stomach. Naruto clamped his mouth around the noodles, frowning, and after swallowing half of them, said;

"Wha? Wha ho funhy?" he asked with a full mouth. Sakura laughed even harder, tears actually coming to her eyes. Her legs jerked up in the air in a dying-spider fashion; then, she rolled off the couch, landing on the floor with a hard-sounding _thump_, still laughing. Frowning harder, Naruto swallowed the rest of his noodles.

"What? What's so funny?" he asked, still not clueing in.

Almost five minutes later, after Sakura had pulled herself back onto the couch and finally stopped laughing, she grinned at Naruto and ruffled his hair.

"You're a funny guy, Naruto." She said cheerfully, "It's your bubbly personality; I think it's infectious."

Naruto grinned.

"I'm happy when you're happy!" he exclaimed. Sakura's grin was suddenly replaced by a look of confusion.

"...W-What?" she asked, blushing slightly. Naruto suddenly realized what he had said and, blushing heavily, tried to save the situation.

"Uh...I mean...umm...I'm _glad _that you're happy. That's what I meant to say; I'm _glad_ that you're happy." Sakura continued to stare at him, and Naruto knew that the situation was beyond saving at this point.

"Naruto..." she said softly, "...what do you mean you're happy when I'm happy?" Naruto looked at her for a moment, and then sighed, looking at the floor guiltily.

"...You want me to tell you what I asked you here for now?" he mumbled. Puzzled, Sakura nodded. Naruto sighed again, and then shifted so that he was sitting on the couch cross-legged, facing Sakura. He looked up, staring into her eyes.

"Well..." he started, "...Sakura, you remember how, back when we were still both genin, I had a huge crush on you?"

Sakura nodded, paying close attention now. She had noticed that Naruto had dropped the _chan_ honorific, meaning he was completely serious.

"Well...after I came back from training with Jiraya...I thought I had gotten over it...I mean, I told myself that, while I was training, I couldn't focus on a crush if I wanted to get Sasuke back for you...but...when I came back...I realized that I hadn't gotten over it..."

Sakura leaned forwards, paying very close attention.

"So...when I started to feel like that around you...I just pushed it back down...I told myself that I couldn't do this to you; you loved Sasuke...but...I just can't keep it inside anymore..."

He was blushing very hard now. Sakura just stared at him.

"Sakura...I...I love you." He finally said.

Sakura stared at him for a while after that, watching his face. Then, she turned a little bit and sighed.

"Oh my..." she murmured, "...this is a little bit much to take in all at once......so...you love me?"

Naruto nodded once, determined. Sakura sighed again, looking at the floor.

"Well...Naruto...don't take this the wrong way, but...I...can we just...stay friends?"

Naruto's heart felt like it was being torn to pieces. He stared at Sakura, hurt.

"Sakura...I...please...I-"

"No, Naruto." She said quickly, standing up. Naruto stood as well, his expression changing into something Sakura didn't like.

"Sakura, please, just stay here for a minute." He sounded like he was begging her now. Sakura shook her head.

"No, Naruto, I have to go now. I'll see you another time." she said, starting to move towards the door. Naruto stepped between her and the exit, holding his arms out to either side.

"Sakura, please!" he shouted, "Listen to me!" he sounded so desperate. He put his hands on her shoulders, effectively stopping her from moving for the moment.

"I want you to love me back! Please, I want you to spend enough time with me so that you know _exactly_ how I feel about you! Please, Sakura, don't leave me!"

Sakura grabbed Naruto's arms and pushed them off of her.

"Naruto, stop it! You're starting to scare me!" she protested. Naruto leaned forward.

"Please, Sakura!!"

"_Stop it, Naruto!!_"

Naruto flinched at the volume of her voice, and took a step back. Sakura was staring at him with a small amount of fear now.

"I don't want to be in love with you!" she shouted, although she hadn't meant to say it that way. Then, the most horrible expression crossed Naruto's face. It was hurt, but also much, much worse than that. It looked like he was in agony from her statement. He stared at her like that for what seemed like an eternity; then Naruto slowly got out of her way, walking past her. Sakura turned, and she saw him leaning against the wall.

"I-I'm sorry..." he mumbled, "...g-go...please, j-just go..."

The pain in his voice suddenly sent waves of guilt crashing over Sakura. She took a hesitant step towards him.

"N...Naruto?" she asked. Naruto shook his head violently, even though he wasn't looking at her.

"Go..." he moaned, raising an arm over his face, most likely to contain his tears. Sakura put a hand on his shoulder.

"Na-"

"JUST GO!!" he screamed, whipping around. Sakura gasped as she saw his face. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, and his eyes...

...his eyes looked like the eyes of a wounded animal.

Terrified at the look in his eyes, Sakura quickly stumbled backwards. Her hand touched the doorknob, and without a second thought, she turned it, pulled the door open, and fled the apartment.

Naruto glared at the spot where Sakura had previously standing for a few moments; then broke down sobbing and rushed forward to slam the door.

_POV Change: Sakura_

Sakura quickly shut her room door and then leaned against it, breathing heavily.

_Okay...what even _happened_ back there?! Naruto was saying he loved me, and then he didn't want me to leave, and...god, that look in his eyes scared the hell out of me!_ She thought frantically. His face just refused to leave her mind. The tears, the anguish, the screaming...

...and those _eyes_...

Sakura shuddered, and slowly made her way over to her bed, where she sat down.

_...He really loves me...I can't believe this..._ she thought. She had always known that he had had one of the hugest crushes on her in the history of crushes, but she never expected something like _this_.

_And what _had_ you been expecting, Sakura?_ A small, derisive voice in her head said. _That your beloved _Sasuke-kun_ would come back and sweep you off your feet while Naruto just became background noise, happy for the both of you? As if, girlfriend! You tried to stop Sasuke yourself, and he went right ahead and spurned you, regardless of _your _feelings! And since then, Naruto's been watching out for you every step of the way._

Sakura shook her head.

"No," she muttered to herself, "Naruto and I are good friends, but that's all."

_Don't kid yourself, Sakura! Ever since Sasuke left, who's the person who's been taking care of you? Who's the person who's been catching you every time you've fallen? Who's the person who, even though he loves you, has been trying to get you back together with your idiotic schoolgirl crush?_

Sakura shook her head again, but didn't speak. She couldn't. She didn't trust herself to say the words. The little voice in her head, however, continued ranting.

_He's only ever been nice to you, Sakura! He's only ever tried to get on your good side, and ever since the Academy and _Sasuke-kun,_ you've been attacking him if he even so much as suggests something as meaningless as eating ramen with him!_

Sakura shook her head a third time.

"No," she murmured, "It's not like that. I don't see Naruto in that light. He's my _best friend_, but-"

And then she realized what she was saying. Ever since she had been little, she had always been railing on Naruto just because he was there. Her parents always told her to stay away from him, but they had never told her why. Then, after Zabuza and the Chuunin Exams, she had realized what a kind, caring person he could be. And then, after he had come back from training with Jiraya – even though he had become a little bit of a perv – he was so much stronger, and even though he had a monumental crush on her, he _still_ wanted to get Sasuke back. For her.

_...And I've still been so nasty to him._ She thought remorsefully. _Punching him out whenever he suggests that we go somewhere together..._

Then, a memory struck her. It was the memory of when she had first met Naruto, before the Academy and before Sasuke.

_It had been a nice, sunny day in the middle of July. All the children were either playing outside or shopping with their parents, so, in essence, Konoha had become something like a gigantic playground. Sakura had run up to Ino, crying. Ino had been sitting at a picnic bench._

_"Ino!" she wailed, "The ribbon you gave me broke!"_

_Ino took the ribbon and inspected it._

_"...Well, I can't fix it, Sakura. What happened?"_

_Sakura sniffled._

_"I-It caught on a low tree branch on the way here." She mumbled. Ino sighed._

_"Well, I don't know what to do, Sakura. I don't have another ribbon to give you, and I don't know anyone who could fix this one."_

_Sakura, depressed by this, sat down at the picnic bench and lowered her head into her arms._

_"This sucks..." she mumbled._

_A few minutes later, a grinning blond boy in a dirty white shirt, orange shorts, and bare feet came running up to them with his hands behind his back. Sakura looked at him shyly and Ino stared at him challengingly._

_"What do you want? Can't you see we want to be alone?" she demanded._

_However, the little blond boy completely ignored Ino. Instead, his grin widening, he went to stand near Sakura and then held out his hands._

_In his hands was a beautiful red ribbon._

_Sakura's face immediately brightened._

_"Ohh, that's beautiful!" she cried, snatching the cloth from the boy's open hands. She ran her fingers over it for a moment, and then stared up at the boy in wonder._

_"...But why are you giving this to me?" she asked. The little blond boy smiled shyly, scratching the back of his head._

_"Well...I heard you saying that you wanted a new one...and I didn't wanna see you cry!" he said happily. Sakura looked up at the grinning child. His sapphire-blue eyes sparkled like sunshine. She smiled shyly._

_"Thanks..." she murmured, tying back her hair with the ribbon. Ino smiled at her as well._

_"Wow, Sakura! That ribbon looks good with your hair!" she exclaimed. Sakura smiled at her, and then turned back to where the boy had been standing, but he was already running back into the crowd of people._

_"Wait!" Sakura called to him. The boy turned around._

_"What's your name?" she called. The boy grinned._

_"Uzumaki Naruto!" he called back, an instant before disappearing into the crowd._

That had been the first time she had met Naruto. After that, she had met him again at the Academy. Her parents had told her to stay away from him at that point, so, naturally, she listened to them and tried to ignore Naruto, instead setting her sights on Sasuke.

But Naruto had never really given up on her...

_Oh my god..._ she realized _...he's been chasing after me this entire time. And I've just been completely ignoring him in favour of Sasuke! Even after Sasuke _left _me; I _still_ refused to acknowledge Naruto in that way...I'm such a horrible person..._

She leaned forwards, her head in her hands.

_The only reason I refused him tonight is because of my stupid obsession with Sasuke. But now..._

Before, the thought of dating Naruto would have been completely new to her. But now, the thought just wouldn't leave her mind. All she could think of was the look on his face, and how much hurt she had caused him. She had to make it up to him somehow; she just _had_ to.

She felt the sudden need to go see him, but stopped for a moment to think rationally.

_...He probably doesn't want to see me right now...I mean...after what I said, and all..._

Sighing, Sakura looked at her digital clock.

7:28 PM.

Sakura sighed a second time.

_Well, maybe I'll see him tomorrow._ She thought, standing up to go and change into her nightclothes.

But tomorrow may prove to be too late...

As soon as Sakura had woken up, she had dressed and gotten out of the house as soon as she possibly could. By now, she was walking up the stairs to Naruto's apartment on the fourth floor.

_God, _she thought; annoyed,_ can't they build places like these with elevators?!_

When she reached his apartment, she rapped on the door quickly.

_Oh, I hope he isn't too mad at me..._ she thought.

But there was no answer at the door.

Frowning, Sakura knocked on the door again. She waited for a moment, and when there was still no answer, she started to get nervous.

_...Did something happen to him?_ She thought nervously. She tried the knob. The door was completely unlocked. Anxious, she looked inside. The apartment was in the same condition it had been left in when she had run away from him last night. Cautious, she entered, quietly shutting the door behind her.

"...Naruto?" she called.

No answer.

Very nervous now, Sakura crept through the apartment, calling out his name here and there. After searching his bedroom, the kitchen, and the living room, the bathroom was the last place to look. She slowly grabbed the knob, and then, after a moment of hesitation, twisted it and looked inside.

The room was empty. However, the window was open, and the curtains fluttered slightly in the breeze. Sakura comprehended the scene instantly.

"...No..." she whispered.

Soon after leaving the apartment, Sakura questioned every single one of Naruto's friends and acquaintances of his whereabouts. But no-one knew where he was. Not even Kiba, with his heightened tracking ability, knew where Naruto had disappeared to.

Sighing in desperation, Sakura trudged down the road back to Naruto's apartment at around 5:00, hoping she could find a clue to where he was. Then, a strangely familiar voice assaulted her ears.

"Hey, dragon lady, what raincloud did you step under?"

Sakura turned, about to tell whatever brat had insulted her to please leave her alone, but she saw Konohamaru, and her mind instantly began to race.

_...He might know where Naruto is..._ she thought. She stared at Konohamaru sadly; the expression she had been wearing all day.

"...I can't find Naruto..." she sighed, "Do you have any idea where he is?"

As soon as Sakura asked, Konohamaru scowled.

"...Sorry, dragon lady, but the boss told me not to tell you where he was going if you asked me." He said, sticking out his tongue at her. Sakura resisted the urge to pummel the little brat into next Tuesday and continued whittling at him.

".........Konohamaru..." she said quietly, forcing the snotty boy to pay attention to her. Sakura bent down to his level, looking him straight in the eyes.

"...I _really_ need to know where Naruto is. I have...something very important to tell him..." Konohamaru stared at Sakura for a minute, struggling with the notion. Then, he sighed.

"_Fine..._the boss made me swear not to tell you where he was going, but I remember that he was muttering something to himself afterwards; _'Shinobi read the hidden meanings within the hidden meanings.'_ I'm sorry, but I can't say anything else." Sakura stared at him for a minute, and then smiled slightly.

"That's okay, Konohamaru..." she murmured. _...I know what he means..._

A few hours later, at around sunset, Sakura had made it to the training ground where she, Naruto and Sasuke had been passed into the genin rank by Kakashi. Sakura looked around for a moment, and when she couldn't find anything, closed her eyes to listen. For a while, all she could hear was the wind blowing, rustling the leaves.

Then – it was very soft and almost impossible to hear – she heard a very quiet sob. Her head snapped in the direction of the monument. Taking quick strides towards it, she stopped short in front of it, listening to the quiet sobs for a moment. Then, she slowly crossed to the other side of it.

Naruto was sitting against the monument, his head in his hands and breathing rapidly. Then, he looked up at Sakura, his eyes red and puffy, and a look of anger came into them.

"Oh..." he said, his voice choked with grief, "...it's _you_..." he turned away from her. Sakura, feeling tremendous guilt, sat down beside him.

"...I see Konohamaru told you..." he said angrily, "I _knew_ I shouldn't have told him. I should've just left without telling anyone..."

The words stung Sakura. She raised a hand for a moment to put it on Naruto's shoulder, but dropped it, knowing he wouldn't take kindly.

"...Naruto, I-"

"Save it!" he shouted, his voice shaking with barely restrained anguish, "I don't wanna hear it! The only reason you're here is because you don't want everyone to think badly of you for making me cry!" Sakura flinched at the harsh words. Had she really caused him this much pain?

"...I didn't mean to hurt you." She mumbled. Naruto shook his head violently.

"I told you I don't wanna hear it..." He muttered. Sakura's face stung with guilt.

_...Was he _really_ that in love with me?_ She thought. She put a hand on his shoulder, but he immediately slapped it away.

"Don't touch me!" he shouted. Hurt, Sakura's thoughts raced.

_...I've been so horrible to him..._ she thoughts sadly _...he loves me so much, and I've thrown him away so easily..._

"...Naruto?" she murmured. Naruto turned around, an angry look on his face.

"Look, I don't want you here, I-!"

And that was all he had time to say before Sakura kissed him, grabbing his head and driving her tongue between his lips.

_POV Change: Naruto_

As soon as she kissed him, the first thing Naruto felt was shock. His eyes popped wide, his body locked up, and a deep, red blush painted itself across his face. Even more shocking was when he felt Sakura's tongue in his mouth.

_Wha?! What the hell is she doing?! Wasn't she just telling me last night that she didn't want to do this?!_ He thought. But he couldn't move. It was like Sakura had frozen him in place. Then, it occurred to him that she was crying. Surprised, he placed his arms on Sakura's shoulders and gently pushed her away from him.

"Sakura," he murmured, "why are you crying?"

The pinkette let out a choked sob and covered stared at Naruto guiltily.

"Naruto..." she mumbled, "...I'm sorry I hurt you...I didn't mean to say what I said last night..." Naruto, slightly guilty that he had been so harsh to her, brought a hand to her cheek; brushing away the tears.

"...I'm sorry, too..." he responded, "I mean...I shouldn't have tried to...f-force myself on you l-l-like that..." he was starting to cry again. God he was such a weakling. Everyone he ever cared about always ended up hurt, whether it was because of the Akatsuki, Orochimaru, or his own selfish desires. He dropped his hand away from Sakura's cheek, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to keep the tears contained. That was when he felt a hand on his own face. His eyes snapped open, and he saw Sakura gazing at him caringly.

"I'm glad you did..." she said quietly, "...because I never would have found this out if you hadn't, Naruto..."

Naruto stared at her, emotion welling up inside of him. Sakura stared back.

"Naruto...I love you..."

As soon as she said it, Naruto's world exploded with joy. The emotion inside of him swelled, and he rushed forward to kiss her, actually pushing her backwards until she fell back against the ground. He grabbed her arms and didn't stop kissing her until his lungs were screaming for air. He broke the kiss, gasped in a breath, and dove forward to kiss her again.

Finally, after several minutes, he backed off, gasping and staring at Sakura with his sparkling, sapphire-blue eyes. Sakura stared back at him, her eyes two flashing emeralds. Their respective breathing slowed, and they stayed the way they were, staring at each other.

Naruto was the first to notice how close their bodies were to each other.

Blushing heavily, Naruto immediately pushed himself off of Sakura with a speed previously thought to be humanly impossible to acheive. Sakura slowly sat up, still gazing at him. Naruto scratched the back of his head, grinning sheepishly.

"Uh...sorry about that..." he mumbled, still blushing. Sakura smiled.

"...That's okay, Naruto." She murmured, "...I liked that."

Naruto gazed at her for a moment, their eyes doing all the talking. Then, smiling, he scooted forward until he was sitting beside Sakura. He hesitantly placed his arm around her shoulders. While it was still in the air, she sighed, and leaned into him, letting her head rest on his chest. Naruto froze for a moment; then smiled a lopsided smile and wrapped his arms around her, warmth spreading through the both of them. His smile widened, and he closed his eyes. Sakura shifted a little bit in his arms, murmured an 'I love you' and kissed his jaw line. Naruto murmured the same thing and nuzzled his cheek against her hair.

The sky above them was painted a beautiful orange from the sunset's glow.

* * *

**Author's Note: **And DONE! Well, thank you for reading, and please review! Also, be nice, please? This is my very first fic, so don't flame me too bad if you no like.


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